Washington State

The Samis Foundation envisions an ideal Jewish community where Jews are knowledgeable about sacred history and destiny, texts, peoplehood and feel a sense of mutual responsibility and commitment to the local and global Jewish communities, with unconditional acceptance of all Jews wherever they are.

Historically the Foundation has worked to actualize the vision by supporting organizations and programs that provide intensive, immersive, K-12 Jewish education, in both formal and experiential settings, including Jewish day schools, overnight summer camps, and educational trips to Israel for local students. More recently, the Foundation has begun to partner with organizations that provide enriched educational experiences for a wide range of Jewish teens.

The Samis Foundation seeks to work collaboratively with our partners to achieve our vision, including:

Collaborating with national and international organizations and other foundations to increase opportunity and lower barriers for Washington State Jewish youth to participate in meaningful educational experiences.

The Samis Foundation believes strongly in tapping into the unparalleled richness of Jewish life in Israel. We work to infuse our local educational experiences with knowledge about Israel, including in our area’s day schools and camps, by bringing major Israeli educators and artists to our community, and by sending increasing numbers of teens on the Israel Experience. Recently, the foundation has undertaken two initiatives to further this connection: 1) the Israeli American Council’s teen “Eitanim” program, which brings Israeli American and Jewish American teens together to work collaboratively on project-based learning opportunities of Jewish and Israeli content; and 2) StandWithUs, to equip teens with the challenges of Israel advocacy they will face when they attend college